Alappuzha: As summer tourism gets momentum in Alappuzha, it should be remembered that past experience has shown that beach goers should observe safety and security since many fatal accidents have occurred here due to carelessness for some years now.
Over the last five years, at least six children were swept away by waves under the watchful eyes of their parents while they were enjoying at the beach.
In April 17, 2016, five members of a family including a 5-year-old from Bengaluru were swept away though they were saved miraculously. The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) has claimed that it has increased the number of trained lifeguards from 10 to 14 to manage crowds during the vacation.
According to tourism police, fatal incidents were often invited by tourists unwilling to comply with safety measures laid down by the tourism police. “All the incidents that happened in the past were children who knew no swimming but breached security. This was the reason for the deaths”, the officials told DC.
In April 2013, three children from Idukki drowned off Alappuzha beach while two boys from Kottayam were swept away by waves in November 2015.
Nazeer, who lost his 14-year- old son Ijas in August 2016, says no lifeguard came to his son’s rescue. “I came to know later that my son and his friends used to swim in the sea but nobody was there to discourage minors. If anybody out there had stopped them, the life of my son could have been saved,” he laments.
Alappuzha beach which is more than 2.5kms-long , was revamped in 2004-2005 as part of the Alappuzha beach beautification project which was completed in five years. As part of the project, five lifeguards were added for the safety of tourists. But they are unable to manage the crowd with two lakhs tourists including foreigners visiting Alappuzha every season.
Lyju Daniel, a routine visitor to the beach and native of Alappuzha, says many children are seen unwinding on the beach, putting their life at risk. There were many incidents in which kids escaped and the incident went unreported. “The people who have been appointed should be extremely vigilant about children who play with waves and keep them away from the beach when the currents are high”, he points out.
He also demands that the tourism Department should put up lamp posts on the beach capable of providing illumination to the entire area. “There is no proper notice board on the beach to make tourists aware of the accident spots” he added.
